About Zygaena minos (Denis & Schiffermüller), 1775
Zygaena minos is a moth species in the family Zygaenidae, first described by Denis & Schiffermüller in 1775. It is distributed across most of Europe, with confirmed absences from Ireland, Great Britain, the Benelux countries, the Iberian Peninsula, and Norway. In Denmark, it only occurs in a small number of locations, and its local population is gradually declining. This species has a wingspan of 33 to 37 millimeters, and adults fly during the months of June and July. Zygaena minos is extremely similar in appearance to Zygaena purpuralis; the two form a species complex, and can only be reliably distinguished from one another through genital preparation or by noting the larval host foodplant. Its white-gray larvae feed on Pimpinella saxifraga and plant species from the Eryngium genus.
